Senior Bowl practice: D-lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore makes some noise, as does defensive back Darius Rush

MOBILE, Ala. — The intensity of the final practices at the Senior Bowl was palpable from the moment the first competitive periods began for the American and National teams on Thursday.

After players searched for a smooth practice rhythm with a variety of coaches from across the NFL, the third day was full of energy, allowing for several standouts to emerge.

The Senior Bowl is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on the NFL Network.

One defensive lineman who put together a standout week was Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore, a versatile player who was used in a variety of ways for the Wildcats, from the interior as a run defender to the outside as a pass rusher.

Adebawore saw the majority of his reps in Mobile in the interior, allowing him to showcase his explosiveness at the point of attack and pass-rushing power.

All of those traits were on full display, from bullying Notre Dame offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson on back-to-back reps in one-on-ones to defeating North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch with an explosive move in the team period.

While Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton has been lauded for his pass-rushing upside, Adebawore proved he could hang in the interior and be disruptive.

“I thought I showed my versatility, athleticism, and relentless motor to the ball,” Adebawore said after practice. “Those were the three things I wanted to accomplish this week and I thought I did that.

“If I feel that guard oversetting, I’m going to take an inside move, my slap-rip, and make sure I get my rip up vertical so I can affect the quarterback.”

A check of the American squad’s practice tape from the second day shows South Carolina defensive back Darius Rush continuously getting underneath the wide-receiver routes during the one-on-one session.That included back-to-back rips against Virginia wideout Dontayvion Wicks, who put together his best day yet in Thursday’s practice.

The theme remained the same during Day 3 of practice, with Rush completely erasing the wideouts, losing just one of his five one-on-one reps. While he needs to utilize his quick-twitch reaction at the line of scrimmage better, no defensive back consistently got underneath routes this week like Rush did. It was as if he knew where the receiver was going to run his route, well before the receiver got a chance to catch the football.

That anticipation paid off during the team period as he got underneath a pass over the middle with a diving interception. The Gamecocks defensive back, who measured in at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, also outmuscled Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas to snag an interception in their one-on-one rep.

Rush reached a top speed of 21.65 mph during Wednesday’s practice, the fastest of any player all week, according to Zebra Technologies, which has been tracking player speeds every day. Rush has considerably improved his draft stock with an excellent week of practice.

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American team edge rushers Will McDonald (Iowa State) and Derick Hall (Auburn) continued to build on their weeks, making several plays in both the running and passing games during the team period. McDonald had a rep near the goal line in which he dropped back into coverage, saw Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis running a flat route into the boundary, and jammed him into the ground. Hall used swim move to knock Oklahoma running back Eric Gray into the backfield for a loss, in addition to driving Syracuse tackle Matthew Bergeron into the turf.

Wicks put together a nice day, but so did American team receiver Jonathan Mingo from Ole Miss, using his big frame to ward off cornerbacks but showing the ability to change direction at the top of routes.

The National team’s Payne Durham, a tight end out of Purdue, put together an outstanding week. His blocking ability blossomed during Wednesday’s session, and on Thursday he made some contested catches, including one in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown between two defenders, losing his helmet in the process. Durham also made a sweet catch down the seam, using every bit of his 6-foot-5, 258-pound frame.

North Carolina offensive lineman Asim Richards, a Philadelphia native who starred at the Haverford School, put together his best day as well. After primarily playing tackle in college, he played left guard this week and improved his ability to reset his hands and set himself against powerful defensive linemen. He won’t wow scouts physically (6-4, 315), but his improvement was noticeable throughout the week.

Day 1 standout Tyrique Stevenson (Miami cornerback) and Day 2 standout Marte Mapu (Sacramento State linebacker) both missed practice Thursday along with Ohio State offensive lineman Dawand Jones.

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